Butterfly Kisses
by PoTObLiViOn
Summary: If you were to ask Tezuka Kunimitsu about his most vivid memories of high school, there were only two things that came to his mind. One was, of course, tennis, and the other, a boy named Fuji Syusuke. Short Fic, 5 chapters.AU
1. Chapter 1: I see you

**CHAPTER ONE: I SEE YOU**

If you were to ask Tezuka Kunimitsu about his most vivid memories of high school, there were only two things that came to his mind. One was, of course, tennis, and the other, a boy named Fuji Syusuke.

For Tezuka, knowing Fuji had been one of the best things that ever happened to him.

Fuji Syusuke was an extremely quiet boy, always keeping to himself and totally absorbed in his own world. He never joined any of his classmates for chats, lunch or sports, preferring to sit by the window, gazing out at the sky with a faraway expression. The others, for their part, decided to ignore him long ago, murmuring unkind words about him behind his back. Tezuka, like the rest, would have no reason to associate with the pensive youth at all, had it not been for fate's intervention.

The summer of their senior year had been one of the hottest yet they had ever experienced in the last ten years. Bogged down by the stifling heat, the students hardly paid attention in class anymore, their minds already on the upcoming holiday just days away, where they could spend it at the beach, frolicking in the cool water. However, the mood was vastly dampened by their homeroom teacher, Takahisa-sensei's sudden announcement of a summer project.

"It wouldn't do for you kids to be too lax during the break," was all the man said when met with a few loud groans. Freshly graduated from college, Takahisa-sensei was young and good-looking, and would've been quite popular among the students if not for his over-enthusiasm in his work. "Be grateful that you'll be working in pairs. And as for the topic…_guess_ what?" he smiled. "I'm giving you the freedom to choose. Pick anything, as long as it _impresses_ me."

The groans, if possible, became even louder. Not only had their dream vacation been cruelly cut short, they had to think of their own topic on top of that. Takahisa-sensei rapped on his table for silence. "Now kids, this is going to comprise 40% of your final exams, so don't slack off, OK?" Satisfied that they were suitably cowered, he began calling out names.

Tezuka sat quietly in his seat as his teacher droned on. He, for one, didn't mind doing the extra work and couldn't understand why everyone found it such a chore.

A hushed murmur settled over the classroom as the students realized that there wasn't any chance of getting out of the project no matter how they whined and complained. Behind Tezuka, a couple of girls were lamenting about it as well, their conversations unwittingly reaching his ears.

"I was _so_ looking forward to the trip to Okinawa this year," one girl sighed. "Now the only thing I can look forward to is getting Tezuka-kun as my partner." Her sigh then turned dreamy. "_That_ would've been more than enough to make up for missing the trip."

Her friend giggled and voiced her agreement. Tezuka felt himself stiffened in annoyance. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't be unlucky enough to be paired with _those_ girls. Girls were constantly gushing over him, even though he didn't do a single thing to encourage them. He always put up a cold front around them, yet it tended to have the opposite effect. Somehow, his aloofness made him more desirable in their eyes, which in turn made Tezuka _even_ more annoyed. It was a never-ending vicious cycle.

"You better pray hard you didn't get that creep by the window instead," another girl chirped in. "It could easily turned into your worst summer _ever_."

Everybody, even Tezuka, knew which creep they were talking about. Tezuka felt a small pang of pity for Fuji, but he couldn't really blame the others for thinking that way, since Fuji didn't care enough to show them otherwise.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu and…" Tezuka snapped to attention as his name was called. He could almost hear the girls behind him holding their breath in anticipation.

"_Fuji Syusuke_. Next, Satoshi Kei and…" Takahisa-sensei continued without missing a beat.

Tezuka blinked. It looked like he was the one who ended up with the creep.

The girls behind him were wailing softly now. "_Poor_ Tezuka-kun. Stuck with such an ugly weirdo. It's so _unfair_…"

_Well, at least I didn't end up with any of them, _Tezuka thought with mild relief. Fuji, for all his unfriendliness, was still the lesser of two evils, no matter how he looked at it.

* * *

After the bell rang, Tezuka was immediately surrounded by his friends and those irritating girls. Some were jokingly giving him condolences for getting such a partner while others, mostly the girls, voiced their discontent.

Tezuka kept quiet throughout the discussion. Oishi Syuichiroh, his best friend, looked disapprovingly at them. Coming from a family that emphasized on compassion, he couldn't abide such unkindness towards one of their fellow student. "You guys shouldn't say such cruel things," Oishi reprimanded. "He's our classmate after all. If we could only get to know him better, I'm sure…"

He was interrupted by someone softly clearing his throat. Everyone turned around and their eyes widened in shock when they saw who it was.

"Tezuka-san," Fuji began, a bit nervously, looking extremely uncomfortable and keeping his eyes downcast. "Is it OK for us to…discuss our assignment after school?"

It was the first time Fuji had approached anyone and spoke without being prompted to. _It must have taken him a lot of courage_, Tezuka thought. He found Fuji's voice to be rather pleasant. Although it was too soft for his liking, there was a melodious ring to it that made Tezuka think of water trickling over a brook.

Tezuka nodded. "Sure. I have tennis practice today, but we can meet after that, say, about half past four?"

Fuji gave a slight nod, bowed and quickly scurried away without another word.

"What a _doofus_," somebody exclaimed at Fuji's departing back, earning a few chuckles.

Tezuka had had enough. He stood up and glared at his classmates. "Please learn to respect others. Would you like it if someone does that to you behind your back? I don't want to hear anymore snide remarks from you people, is that clear?" His voice was reproachful.

Realizing their mistakes, everyone instantly stopped snickering and hung their heads in shame.


	2. Chapter 2: I Know You

**A/N: Thank you very much for all those wonderful & constructive reviews. I didn't realize until now just how much I missed reading them! I'm very sorry for my long absence, but there have been a lot of things going on in my life (not to mention something terrible happened to my computer). I am still not out of it yet, but my craving got better of me, so ta-da! this story is hatched. **

**As Raydiate has mentioned, Fuji is kinda OOC here, so you can consider it as AU. I hope it won't hinder you guys from following the story though. **

**And for all Fuji fans, yes, Fuji Syusuke is indeed beautiful. I've always resented the fact that his eyes are perpetually closed. He's got beautiful eyes, WHY MUST HE HIDE THEM?! So, in my story, Fuji's eyes, will be, like _normal_ people, opened.**

**Okay people, on with the story....**

**CHAPTER TWO: I KNOW YOU**

At a quarter to six, Tezuka languorously made his way to the school gate, his tennis bag slung over his shoulder. With endorphins pumping through his veins as usual after a vigorous session of tennis practice, he was feeling on top of the world. Tennis was_, _without question_,_ his number one passion in life.

He was almost out of the gate when his gaze happened to settle on a slight, hunched figure on the side walk, idly doodling on the sand with a broken branch. Upon closer look, he realized it was Fuji. Suddenly, his earlier promise, which he had promptly forgotten in the midst of his practice, came rushing back to him. Tezuka couldn't _believe_ Fuji was still waiting for him after more than an hour.

He quickly approached the boy, guilt gnawing at him. "I'm really very sorry, Fuji-kun," Tezuka started apologizing as sincerely as he could. "I know it's unforgivable, but I totally lost track of time during practice."

Fuji looked up and gave a tentative smile before slowly getting up to his feet. "It's all right, Tezuka-san. I didn't wait _that_ long," he said with a dismissive wave, almost as if he was used to waiting for long periods of time.

For a split second when their eyes collided, Tezuka found himself thrown into a state of utter bewilderment. He hadn't notice before, but Fuji's eyes were of the purest shade of blue he had ever seen, framed by long thick sooty lashes. It reminded him of the color of a robin's egg, or the sky on a cloudless summer day.

There was only one word to describe them. _Beautiful_.

It was doing Fuji injustice really, at being called ugly by their classmates, Tezuka mused. Probably because he always kept his eyes downcast and covered with his bangs, nobody took note of them. Tezuka guessed the rumor that Fuji's mother was a foreigner was true. He'd always assumed Fuji's unusual chestnut hair was due to dyeing, but when he thought back about it, the boy seemed to be too diffident to make a bold fashion statement like that.

"Shall we get going?" Fuji asked shyly, interrupting Tezuka out of his reverie. He was looking at his feet now, avoiding eye contact.

"Ah…" was all Tezuka said as he tried his best to recollect his scattered thoughts. They moved forward in silence.

"Where do you want to go? Your house or mine?" Tezuka asked when Fuji clearly wasn't going to say anything anymore.

Fuji seemed to hesitate for a moment. "If you don't mind, can we go to your house?"

Tezuka nodded agreeably. "This way then."

They moved along in silence yet again. By nature, Tezuka was a quiet guy, preferring to listen than to talk, but confronted with Fuji, who was even more tight-lipped than he was, he felt that he ought to initiate the conversation.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Fuji's cell phone rang. The tune was somewhat familiar, and reminded Tezuka of a sad ballad he once heard when he was young. He watched as the other boy fished out his phone and spoke softly into it.

"Yes, Mother. I'm fine. I'll be going to Tezuka-san's house for a while."

There was a long pause as Fuji listened to his mother's reply. He turned to Tezuka after a while, and in an embarrassed tone, asked for his address. Tezuka gave it to him readily.

After what seemed like eternity, the smaller boy finally hung up. _Fuji must've had a pampered life_, Tezuka thought. He wondered if that was what made Fuji so timid and shy.

"Is your mother all right with you coming over?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji nodded, his eyes glued to the ground. "She's just a bit of a worrywart."

Fuji didn't sound too keen to talk about his mother so Tezuka decided to change the topic. "Since we are going to be working together, let's discard the formalities, shall we? You can just call me Tezuka, and I'll call you Fuji, is that all right with you?"

He was rewarded by yet another brilliant smile, complete with two dimples at the sides of the bow-shaped mouth. Fuji literally glowed, his face lighting up in obvious pleasure.

Once again, Tezuka stood enthralled, caught off guard by the effect of Fuji's smile. It completely transformed the other boy, bringing to mind visions of smiling blue-eyed angels.

"You should do that more often," Tezuka heard himself saying. "You have a very beautiful smile."

A blush immediately crept over Fuji's face. "Th…thank you," he stammered.

Tezuka felt his own face heating up. He couldn't believe such corny words came out of him. _So much for making conversations_. It was probably best for him to keep his mouth shut from now on.

Tezuka's mother was waiting for them in the doorway when they arrived. "I'm home, Mother," Tezuka greeted her as he took off his shoes.

"Welcome home," she gave him a warm hug. Then she turned to Fuji, who was fidgeting beside Tezuka. "Who's your friend, Kunimitsu?"

"Mother, this is Fuji Syusuke from my class. We got paired up for Takahisa-sensei's assignment this summer."

Fuji quickly bowed. "Ni…nice to meet you, Tezuka-san," he said nervously.

"Nice to meet you too, Fuji-kun." Ayana smiled at the boy, seeming to take a liking to him. "My, what a pretty and delicate boy you are."

Fuji blushed furiously. Noting his discomfort, Tezuka decided to rescue him. Clutching Fuji by the wrist, he pulled him up the stairs. "Mother, Fuji and I will be going to my room to work on our assignment," he announced.

"Will Fuji-kun stay for dinner, then?"

Tezuka looked questioningly at Fuji. The boy gave a slight shake of his head. "My Mom is expecting me to be back in an hour or so," he said softly.

Tezuka conveyed the message to his mother before ushering Fuji into his room. He placed his bag neatly on the table and took off his outer uniform while the other boy glanced around wonderingly.

Tezuka was somewhat of a bookworm, and his room clearly reflected this. A custom made shelf, which spanned across the entire section of a wall, was filled to overflowing with books of all sorts.

He saw Fuji moved towards his collection and ran his fingers over the spines of the neatly aligned books. "You _read_ all these?" Fuji's voice was full of awe as he randomly picked out one and opened it. It was a classic literature on the Heian Period, a gift from Tezuka's grandfather on his 16th birthday. He leafed through a few pages of it, became seemingly engrossed.

"Most of them." Tezuka shrugged, amused at how delighted Fuji looked. If seeing the books in Tezuka's room made Fuji this happy, he would probably flipped when he saw his grandfather's extensive library on the upper floor.

"Maybe we could do this as our assignment." Fuji suddenly looked up at him hopefully. "I…I enjoy history, especially the Heian Era. It is considered to be the peak of cultural development in our country. I was thinking maybe we could do a review on it."

Fuji sounded so excited that Tezuka didn't have the heart to turn him down. He gave an approving smile. "Good idea. We'll go and get some research material tomorrow then."

Fuji nodded happily. He seemed to have slowly opened up, becoming less shy and reserved around Tezuka.

"Since we have settled the topic of our assignment earlier than expected, shall we do some homework then?" Tezuka suggested.

Fuji nodded again. Tezuka brought out a small table so that they could do their homework facing each other.

"Did you manage to catch everything that Hitomi-sensei dictated to us in English today?" Tezuka asked as he fished out his English book. Tezuka considered himself to be fairly proficient in that subject, but today his teacher was reading much too fast for him to grasp.

Fuji brought out his own book and gave it to Tezuka. He looked at Fuji's neat scribbles, flabbergasted. The boy had jotted down _every _word with precision. "Wow, you are _really_ good."

Fuji shrugged shyly. "English is my favorite subject," he said by way of answer. "I like to read a lot. I'm not very good in Chemistry, though."

"Well, tell me if you have any problem then. We could help in each other in our study."

Fuji smiled gratefully at Tezuka, and they returned to their individual homework. After about an hour of studying, Tezuka's mother knocked on his door.

"Yes, Mother?" Tezuka glanced up at her.

"Kunimitsu, Fuji-kun's sister is here to pick him up." She smiled at Fuji.

"Th…thank you, Tezuka-san." Fuji hurriedly packed his bag.

Tezuka walked him to the door. He saw a shiny, red sports car waiting out front. A pretty twenty-something woman who resembled Fuji a lot came out and helped Fuji to carry his bag.

"Tezuka-kun?" she beamed at Tezuka. He nodded politely.

"I'm Yumiko. Thank you for taking care of my brother. I hope he didn't trouble you too much."

Tezuka shook his head and exchanged some pleasantries with her. Fuji's sister then opened the door and ushered him in. Tezuka waved goodbye at them. Fuji gave a slight wave back before quickly ducking his head, flustered.

As he watched the car slowly disappeared from sight, Tezuka wondered flittingly at the other boy's apparent sheltered life.

**P/S: In case you are wondering which sad ballad, it's a song called Sayonara Wa Iwanaide by Kokia. I was listening to it when this story suddenly hit me. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3: I Feel You

**CHAPTER THREE: I FEEL YOU**

As the days passed, Tezuka and Fuji began to spend more time together. It became a routine for them meet after school and hung out in Tezuka's place, doing their assignment and homework together. Fuji seemed to prefer his place, claiming he couldn't stay away from the lure of the books in Tezuka's library.

The smaller youth proved to be an enigma. Tezuka found him to be worldly and knowledgeable, yet extremely naive about certain things in everyday life. He was amazed that Fuji had not been to an amusement park before, nor had he spent summer at the beach. He was as delighted as a little boy in a candy shop when once; Tezuka bought a chocolate banana crepe for him. He swore he had never tasted anything so good.

Fuji's naivety was refreshing to Tezuka. He found himself enjoying every moment he got to know the boy. He was completely different from what the rumors claimed. Fuji was, in actuality, a warm and easy going person with a wicked sense of humor, which Tezuka happened to glimpse on rare occasions.

Tezuka also enjoyed explaining and teaching Fuji things that were otherwise considered mundane to others. He couldn't believe Fuji never played any sports before, and proceeded to teach him tennis. Fuji was a natural and quick learner, but he lacked the stamina. He was easily fatigued, and was confined to bed the whole day after. Fuji's too pampered life and lack of strenuous exercise before were probably responsible for it, and Tezuka thought twice before inviting him out for sports since then.

In class, however, Fuji remained his distance, never approaching Tezuka whenever he was with somebody, even Oishi. Only when both of them were alone did Tezuka get to see the real Fuji. He didn't mind. He was selfish enough not wanting to share his new friend with anyone else.

On the last day of school, Oishi suggested a class trip to the beach. It was met with delighted cheers from everybody. Tezuka managed to persuade Fuji to join them, but at the last minute, he cancelled out, claiming that he was down with the flu, much to Tezuka's befuddlement. He ended up going to the beach without Fuji, and rather regretted his decision when he was hounded by his fan girls all throughout the journey.

Later in the evening, Tezuka finally managed to slip away for a breather when a heated volleyball match between the sexes momentarily took their attention away. He found an isolated spot on the beach and took a leisurely stroll, his thoughts inadvertently turned to Fuji. The boy had sounded so disappointed for having missed the trip. Maybe he could do something to cheer him up. The more Tezuka thought about it, the more appealing the idea was.

He began scanning around, trying to look for some nice shells to bring home to Fuji as souvenir. So far, the ones he came across were either smashed up or dull brown in color. He was almost in despair of ever finding any when he happened to stumble upon something shiny a few feet away, half buried underneath a washed-up log.

It turned out to be a large conch shell, as big as two of his palms, with delicate swirls of pink pattern mixed in with yellow. It was very beautiful. Smiling to himself at his find, Tezuka washed the remaining sands off with seawater. He couldn't wait to show it to Fuji and see his delighted expression. He just knew that the smaller boy would love it.

* * *

Summer holidays finally arrived and Tezuka was preparing for his annual camping trip with his father and grandfather. It was a ritual in the Tezuka's household for as long as he could remember. The trip was generally spent fishing, talking and getting back to nature. Tezuka decided to ask Fuji along this year, though he had some trepidation, seeing how Fuji was unable to make it to their last outing before.

Fuj, however, accepted the offer with obvious delight, his beautiful blue eyes shining with joy. It was probably one of those things that he had never done before, and Tezuka was glad that he had asked him.

They set out early in the morning, with Tezuka's father driving them to the mountain where they would be spending two days and a night. Everybody was in a jovial mood. Fuji was gazing out the window in fascination throughout the ride, frequently pointing out things that peaked his interest. Tezuka smiled to himself. Fuji sometimes reminded him of a little kid.

The day progressed with much fun for everybody. They built their tents, though Fuji wasn't much of a help, and then went fishing. A friendly competition ensued, with Tezuka coming out top with the most catch, followed closely by Fuji. Although he claimed he didn't know fishing before, Fuji didn't do too badly on his first attempt.

They cooked their catch for dinner as part of the ritual. After dinner, they sat around the campfire and traded interesting stories, mostly of the war times by Tezuka's grandfather. Tezuka had heard of them numerous time and was only listening perfunctorily but Fuji was eating up every word with unblinking eyes, enthralled.

The weather was getting colder and finally, Tezuka's grandfather called it a night. They would be going mountain hiking tomorrow and need to have an early start. Everyone parted ways to retire to their own tents.

Since Fuji didn't have his own tent, Tezuka was sharing his with him. The tent was big enough to accommodate both of them comfortably, and soon Tezuka was lulled into sleep by the soothing sounds of crickets.

* * *

Tezuka didn't know what disturb him but suddenly he found himself wide awake. Alert, his stretched out his senses and detected a presence looming over him.

_Fuji?_ Tezuka frowned a little, wondering what the boy was up to, in the middle of the night.

He pretended to be asleep, somehow sensing that he was not supposed to be aware of it.

But the boy just kept watching him in silence, to the point that it was unnerving Tezuka. He was just about to announce that he was awake when Fuji suddenly leaned close to him.

Tezuka stilled, keeping his breathing as regular as possible. He didn't know why, but his heart was suddenly thumping out of control.

"I love you, Tezuka Kunimitsu," he heard Fuji's husky whisper before the boy leaned down and planted the softest, sweetest kiss on Tezuka's lips.

The brush was as soft as a butterfly's wing. Tezuka would have mistaken it for a breeze if not for the warmth that accompanied the kiss.

After what seemed like eternity, but in truth only a few seconds, Fuji broke away and returned to his makeshift bed.

The whole thing seemed so surreal that Tezuka wondered if he _really _was dreaming. Yet, why would he dream of another guy kissing him? And more to the point, why _didn't_ he feel the least bit repulsed by it? Tezuka was left pondering on his feelings for Fuji throughout the night.

* * *

The next morning, Tezuka woke up feeling groggy from lack of sleep. Fuji, on the other hand, was looking bright and cheerful.

He was all set up for the mountain hike, a camera in his hand. Fuji loved to take pictures, and he couldn't wait to take the beauty of those majestic mountains.

His attitude wasn't any different from before, making Tezuka start to doubt the reality of last night's event.

However, one thing had certainly changed. He was seeing Fuji in a new light now. Tezuka began to notice little things, like how the other boy's exotic blue eyes seemed to light up with an inner glow whenever he saw something that caught his fancy. How soft and silky his rich honey brown hair looked when caught in the sunlight. How _incredibly _heart melting his dimpled smile was.

Tezuka shook his head at those distressing thoughts. He had never felt this way towards another person before, and it scared him. Was this how someone felt when they were falling in love?

He sneaked another glance at Fuji. They had reached the mountain top, and Fuji was panting heavily from the climb, forcing him to crouch down in order to catch his breath.

"Are you all right?" Tezuka asked, concerned, bending down next to him. He felt himself growing warm all over and his pulse quickened at the other boy's nearness.

Fuji nodded with a smile. He looked out toward the spectacular view of the waterfall before him. "It's worth it," Fuji mumbled in awe. The color was slowly returning to his cheek.

Tezuka was glad that Fuji liked it. He watched him silently, enjoying the view as Fuji began taking pictures with his camera.

After a while, he turned to Tezuka. "Ne, Tezuka, would you mind becoming my model?"

Tezuka hesitated. He didn't like having his pictures taken much. He always looked too solemn by half in photos.

"_Please_?" Fuji cajoled, fixing him a pleading look with his big blue eyes.

Tezuka's pulse did a funny little skip again and the refusal died in his mouth. Reluctantly, he got up and went to stand by where Fuji indicated.

He was rewarded by a smile that sent his heart fluttering. Chagrin, Tezuka mentally kicked himself in the head. _Why _was he getting flustered over every little small thing that Fuji did?

It must be because of the confession and kiss last night, Tezuka thought wretchedly. It was going to continue eating him alive until he knew the truth behind them. He decided to confront Fuji about it. Tezuka's thought process didn't go beyond that, nor did he stop for a moment to consider what he would do and how it would affect their friendship if Fuji _really_ did confess to him.

* * *

After his father dropped them off, Tezuka offered to walk Fuji home instead of calling his sister to pick him up. He reckoned this would be a good opportunity as any to find out just what happened that night.

They walked in silence while Tezuka pondered on how to broach the subject. Fuji didn't seem to be aware of his unusual quietness, or if he did, he didn't comment on it, seemingly lost in his own world as well. Tezuka was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice where they were until they were walking up Fuji's street.

There was little time left before they reached their destination. _It's now or never_. Finding all the courage he could muster, he was about to speak when all of a sudden, Fuji began running ahead.

Tezuka stared after him in confusion. Only when he stopped in front of a tall stranger did he notice the guy leaning against the lamp pole in front of Fuji's house, partially hidden from view.

Tezuka felt his back prickled as he sensed the obvious closeness between Fuji and the stranger. Fuji had thrown himself at him while the guy held and ruffled his honey brown hair in an overly familiar way.

Tezuka found that he didn't like it one bit, nor did he particularly approve of the way the guy was gazing at Fuji. "Ahem," he coughed, bringing attention to himself.

Both of them turned to look at him. On closer inspection, the guy turned out to be a youth about his age, with bleached hair and exotic midnight blue eyes. He was good looking enough to make Tezuka felt instantly threatened by his presence.

The tall youth turned an inquiring eye towards Fuji. "Oh, forgive me for my rudeness," Fuji said in embarrassment. "Let me introduce you two. Tezuka, this is my childhood friend, Saeki Kojirou. He just arrived from Chiba for a visit. It's been almost two years since we last saw each other," Fuji couldn't hide the pleasure from his voice, somehow irking Tezuka more. "Kojirou, this is my classmate, Tezuka Kunimitsu."

Fuji's use of Saeki's first name did not go unnoticed by Tezuka, indicating just how close their relationship was. It made Tezuka's already low opinion of the new boy sank even further. Something about the guy seriously rubbed him the wrong way.

Saeki's brows rose at the mention of Tezuka's name. Something flickered in the midnight blue eyes and he shot Fuji a look from the corner of his eye. An unspoken message seemed to pass between the two, which left Fuji squirming somewhat uncomfortably.

_What was that all about?_ Tezuka wondered, annoyed. But before he could pursue the thought further, Saeki had extended a hand to him in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Tezuka. I've...heard much about you from Syusuke." He held Tezuka's hand in a firm grip.

Tezuka did likewise. "Nice to meet you too. But I'm sorry to say, I _have not_ heard of you at all."

That earned a chuckle from Saeki. Tezuka frowned. _Did _he just say something that amused him?

"Well, I'm sure Syusuke will be glad to talk to you about me anytime, won't you, _sweetheart_?" Saeki slung an arm across Fuji's shoulders and deliberately pulled him close into an embrace, meanwhile throwing Tezuka a sly glance. "Come on now, say goodbye to your friend. We should go in before you catch a cold."

If it was any consolation, Fuji appeared discomforted by the blatant display of affection from his friend as well. He inconspicuously extricated himself from Saeki's grasp before giving Tezuka an apologetic smile. "Thank you for sending me home, Tezuka. I'll give you a call for our next meeting, OK?"

Tezuka nodded wordlessly, too vexed to utter anything in return. As he watched Saeki ushered Fuji into the house, he silently fumed, feeling more frustrated than before by the uncertainty of Fuji's feeling for him and the appearance of Fuji's long time friend.

**A/N**: Thank you, thank you for reading and your patience in following the story. I really enjoyed reading all your reviews. *kisses* Anyway, I was thinking about whether to add a smut scene in the next chapter (which, I think would upgrade this story to M?) or just write something light e.g kissing only...Who is in favor of what?


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